Airspeed Oxford Mk.I DF471 of No.427 Sqn, RCAF, crashed on Great Coum near Dent on the 29th August 1943

Robert Lloyd Henry

Sergeant RCAF

Pilot

Killed

William Phillip Holt

Corporal RCAF

Passenger

Killed

James Edmond Keighan

Corporal RCAF

Passenger

Killed

Dennis William Davies

Leading Aircraftman RCAF

Passenger

Killed

On the 27th August 1943 a number of Halifax aircraft from No.427 Squadron took part in a raid against Nurnberg. Among them was Halifax Mk.V DK234, about 5 minutes after releasing its bomb load of 1 two thousand pound bomb and 392 incendiaries it was hit by ground fire; this disabled its port outer engine and lead to the loss of some fuel. On their return to the UK the crew of DK234 decided they would probably not safely reach RAF Leeming and so landed at RAF Ford near Littlehampton in Sussex.

Two days after this on the 29th one of the Squadron’s pilot was detailed to fly their Airspeed Oxford to RAF Ford with three engine fitters as passengers so that they could repair the damaged Halifax allowing it to then be returned to Leeming. The Oxford took off from Leeming and headed west, however while flying at 2,000ft in cloud over the Pennines the aircraft flew into Great Coum above Blea Gills near the village of Dent killing the four occpuants of the aircraft.

Little remains where the aircraft crashed, as with other Oxfords it consists of parts from the undercarriage and wooden spars with attached stainless steel plates.A view looking south towards Whernside and Ingleborough.Lower down the hill in a sink hole are a number of panels from the aircraft which had been weighed down with rocks.

The four occupants of the aircraft were buried on the 3rd September 1943 at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate.